Wiener-roasting fork



Oct. 27, 1959 Filed Alli. 6, 1958 N. A. CRITES WIENER-ROASTING FORK 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

NELSON A. GRITES GO RBETT MAHONEY MILLERdK AMB 4m 5x244. w-J

Oct. 27, 1959 N. A. CRITES 2,909,987

WIENER-ROASTING FORK Filed Aug. 6, 1958 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

22 NELSON A. CRlTEfi CORBETT MAHONEY MILL & RAMBO f BY MI %I United States Patent WIENER-ROASTING FORK Nelson A. Crites, Columbus, Ohio, assignor of one-half I to Robert L; Alkire, Columbus, Ohio My invention relates to a wiener-roasting fork. -It has to do, more particularly, with a wiener-roasting fork on which the wiener is impaled during roasting over an open fire.

As is well known, in roasting wieners on a fork over an open fire, one of the difficulties encountered is that of cooking the wiener completely without carbonizing or burning the exposed surface or skin thereof. Another difliculty encountered is that of removing the wiener from the fork after it is roasted without burning the person removing it.

According to my invention, I provide a wiener fork or spit which has protective means associated therewith that will prevent direct contact of the flames or products of combustion with the wiener but will permit adequate heating of the wiener for quick roasting. With this protective means, the wiener will be quickly and adequately roasted completely therethrough without being charred or burned by the flames. I also provide means in connection with the protective means for easily pushing the wiener from the point of the fork without danger of burning the person using the fork.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention but it is to be understood that specific details thereof may be varied.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a wiener fork made according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the fork showing a wiener impaled thereon for roasting.

Figure 3 is a similar view but showing how the wiener is removed from the fork.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail in longitudinal section taken along line 44 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is an end elevational view taken along line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary isometric view illustrating the stop arrangement on the fork.

With reference to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1, I have illustrated the wiener fork of my invention as comprising a heavy wire or rod 10 which carries a handle 11 at one end and a protective shield 12 at the other end. The latter or outer end of the rod 10 is provided with a point 13 to facilitate impaling of the wiener on the rod.

The sleeve 12 is of foraminous construction and is illustrated as being of screen but it can be formed of sheet metal with sufficient small perforations. As previously indicated, the sleeve will protect the wiener impaled on the rod 10 from direct contact with the flames and gases of the open fire. Therefore, it is important that the screen or perforated sleeve have suflicient metal therein that it will quickly cool the flame contacting therewith to lower its kindling point and prevent its passage through the perforations into contact with the wiener on the spit or rod.

The foraminous sleeve 12 is open at its outer end 14 but is closed at its inner end by the metal cap 15 which end of the rod 10 merely by an outward push on the has a small central opening 16 formed therein. inserted and welded in this opening 16 is a small tube 17. The tube 17 slides on the rod 10, the rod extending through the tube into the sleeve 12. Thus, the sleeve 12 is mounted on the rod 10 for axial sliding so that it can be reciprocated thereon. For reciprocating the sleeve 12, an actuating wire 20 is welded to the outer end thereof as at 21. This wire 20 is extended towards the handle 11 and has a finger grip 22 formed thereon which will be located a sufiicient distance from the sleeve 12 that it will not become hot during the wiener roasting operation. This finger grip 22 extends radially from the wire 20 and is formed by providing loops 23 around the rod 10. The loops 23 cooperate with stops on the rod 10 to limit the reciprocation of the sleeve 12 in both directions.

When the fork is being used to roast a Wiener, the wiener is impaled on the point of the rod 10 as indicated in Figure 2. At this time, the sleeve 12 will be withdrawn so that it will completely cover the impaled wiener. At this time the loops23, which normally tend to contract around the rod 10, will cooperate with a V-shaped notch 24 formed by a bend in the rod 10 to maintain the wire 29 and, therefore, the sleeve 12 in a fixed position which will be such that the wiener will be surrounded by and protected by the sleeve 12. As previously indicated,'as the wiener is roasted, it will be protected from burning or chairing by direct contact of the flames of the open fire. Therefore, it can be roasted thoroughly without burning the skin thereof. When the roasting is completed, the wiener may be readily forced axially off the pointed handle 22. This will move the loops 23 out of the notch 24 and will move the wire 20 and the sleeve 12 axially outwardly as shown in Figure 3. However, the sleeve 12 cannot be moved oflr' the rod 10 because the loops 23 of the wire 20 will contact with a stop 25 formed on the rod 10 towards its pointed end. The stop '25 may be formed merely by flattening the rod to provide radially extending ears. :It will be noted from Figure 3 that at the time the sleeve 12 reaches its outermost position, the pointed end 13 of the rod will be substantially within the supporting sleeve 17 and the cap 15 will have pushed the wiener off the point. However, the tube 17 will still be located on the rod 10 and will adequately support the sleeve 12.

- It will be apparent that my invention provides for a protective sleeve on the wiener fork or spit to protect a wiener impaled thereon from burning but to still permit thorough roasting thereof. Furthermore, the sleeve is reciprocable so that it can be used to push the wiener off the spit or fork after cooking. Axially spaced stops are provided on the rod, as described, to position the foraminous sleeve in a predetermined axial position on the rod for cooking and to limit the wiener discharge movement of the sleeve so that the sleeve will not be pushed off the rod. The cooking position stop can be passed by the loops on the sleeve-actuating wire but the stop which limits the discharge movement of the sleeve cannot be readily passed, thereby preventing accidental movement of the sleeve from the end of the rod.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles of this invention have been explained and have been illustrated and described in what is now considered to represent the best embodiment. However, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A wiener-roasting fork comprising a rod having a pointed end on which the wiener is to be impaled, a protective shield in the form of 'a foraminous sleeve for en closing the impaled wiener during roasting, said forami- Patented Oct. 27, 195.9;

nous sleeve having a tubular metal wall with an overall I pattern of small openings so that there will be suflicient metal therein to cool a flame contacting therewith to prevent its passage through the openings into contact with the impaled Wiener but to permit adequate heating of the Wiener for quick roasting, means for mounting said sleeve on the rod for reciprocation, and stop means for limiting said reciprocation.

2. A Wiener-roasting fork comprising a rod having a pointed end on which the Wiener is to be impaled, a protective shield in the form of a foraminous sleeve for enclosing the impaled wiener during roasting, said forami nous sleeve having a tubular metal wall with an overall pattern of small openings so that there will be suflicient metal therein to cool a flame contacting therewith to prevent its passage through the openings into contact with the impaled Wiener but to permit adequate heating of the wiener for quick roasting, said sleeve having an open end towards the pointed end of the rod and a substantially closed inner end surrounding the rod, means mounted on the rod and connected to the sleeve for reciprocating it on the rod, and stop means for limiting said reciprocation.

3. A wiener-roasting fork comprising a rod having a pointed end on which the Wiener is to be impaled, a protective shield in the form of a foraminous sleeve for enclosing the impaled Wiener during roasting, said sleeve having an open end towards the pointed end of the rod and a substantially closed inner end surrounding the rod, means mounted on the rod and connected to the sleeve for reciprocating it on the rod, andstop means for limiting said reciprocation, said reciprocating means comprising a wire connected to the sleeve and extending longitudinally of the rod, said wire having transverse loops which pass around the rod, said stop means comprising a V formed in the rod at one position thereof and stop lugs spaced outwardly on the rod towards the pointed end of the rod.

4. A Wiener-roasting fork according to claim 3 in whic the wire is connected to the sleeve through the medium of a tube which slides on the rod, said stop lugs being so located that when the wire loops contact therewith said tube will still be positioned on the rod to support the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,454,739 Holland May 8, 1923 2,460,735 Carroll Feb. 1, 1949 2,749,835 Hiscock June 12, 1956 2,804,819 Whealton Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,626 Great Britain Apr; 21, 1884 

